How to Make the Perfect Cream Tea

No cream tea would be complete without a scone. Here's a simple recipe that you can make at home if you prefer to bake without a mix.

Ingredients
225g/8oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
25g/1oz caster sugar
50g/2oz unsalted butter, slightly softened
150ml/¼ pint milk
1 egg, beaten, or plain flour, for brushing or dusting

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, add the butter and rub quickly into the flour, creating a fine breadcrumb consistency.
3. Add the milk, a little at a time, working to a smooth dough.
4. This is now best left to rest for 5-15 minutes before rolling.
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until 2cm/¾in thick. Using a 5cm/2in pastry cutter, cut the dough, using one sharp tap and not twisting the dough as you cut. Twisting the scone mix will result in an uneven rising.
4. Once cut, the scones can be either brushed with the beaten egg for a shiny glaze, or dusted with the flour for a matt finish.
5. Place the scones on a greased baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, and serve while still warm.

(Thanks to the BBC)

Clotted Cream achieves its thick texture by heating cream of high-fat breed cows, such as the Jersey, in pans, to about 190°f and allowing it to cool slowly.

The cream is usually packed in shallow trays a few inches deep and forms a yellow crusty surface. The consistency is thick and heavy, almost like treacle, and is traditionally served by scooping the cream out into cups or small cartons.